Attending PTSA and BOE Meetings

Attending PTSA and/or Board of Education meetings is a great way to be informed and involved in your child's education experience. Please check the meeting dates for the PTSA and BOE and mark your calendars!  If you're unable to attend a meeting, you can also watch a recorded video of a meeting and read the minutes as they become available. 

Understanding How the BOE Operates and How to Interact
Last March, the PTSA hosted the BOE at their General Membership Meeting to have a conversation about how the BOE functions, and how parents can further their involvement and communication with the BOE.  It was a most informative meeting!  Former PTSA President Shannon Johnson was kind enough to write up some great minutes from this meeting.  
 
As a follow-up to the last Dobbs Ferry PTSA General Membership Meeting, we wanted to provide meeting minutes that capture the wonderful discourse that occurred between our very own Board of Education (BOE) and our parent community. The purpose of this meeting was to educate our community about:

  • What it's like to be a BOE member

  • What is the role of the BOE in our schools

  • BOE meeting structure and operating rules

  • How parents can provide feedback/ideas to BOE within the confines of BOEMeetings as well as outside the meeting context

The meeting was a wonderful give-and-take discussion and an opportunity for our community to convene and openly discuss the role of our BOE as well as gain insights on how parents can play an active role in advancing our schools.

Members of the BOE in attendance were: Tracy Baron, Lynne Black, Mike Goldman, Jonathan Greengrass, Jean Lucasey

Here is a top-level summary of the evening:

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION

  • The school district’s governance team is composed of the school board members and the superintendent.
  • School Board acts as the district’s board of directors
  • School Board is responsible for the “big picture” -- establishing goals, setting policy and overseeing resources for the school district
  • 3 most important functions of the BOE:
    • Hire and evaluate the Superintendent
    • Submit a proposed budget to the voters for their approval
    • Determine overall curriculum
OVERVIEW OF ROLE OF SUPERINTENDENT

  • Superintendent is the district’s chief executive officer and reports directly to theBOE
  • The superintendent focuses on how to meet goals
  • Runs day to day operations of the school
  • Translates BOE policies into actions
  • Manages the employees of the school district
The BOE must take care not to micromanage the Superintendent but instead provide guidance.

BOARD MEETINGS: PURPOSE AND STRUCTURE

  • BOE meetings are the board’s only time to conduct business.
  • Staff and community members are invited to attend, but the main purpose is for the board to conduct its business.
  • It’s the only time the superintendent has to meet with the full board.
  • The individual members of the school board have no powers on their own. They can only take action when together as a board.
  • Meeting agenda is distributed to board members beforehand and an email blast goes out to parents to access the agenda before meeting.
  • Meetings are open to public.
  • Open Meetings Law requires that all discussions must be conducted in open session, except for the very limited subjects that are discussed in executive sessions.
  • Public comment time is when public can speak to allow community members to ask questions or make comments.
  • Public can also comment on major presentations made during meeting, but the board generally does not engage in discussion during public comment.
  • According to New York State School Board Association, if an individual raises an issue during the public comment period “it’s best to listen to the individual and then say that the board will take the issue under advisement. . . . Your board should refrain from engaging the individual in public debate during the meeting.”
  • BOE members can’t discuss issues via email or phone between each other - only at meetings.
  • Votes made by the BOE must be conducted in public.
  • BOE is not permitted to discuss board business via email or use email to influence votes in advance of a meeting.
  • If the Superintendent needs a decision from the board quickly, the BOE can’t discuss via email and vote via email; rather an in-person meeting is scheduled and the public is given notice.
  • In Dobbs Ferry regular “work sessions” are conducted where the goal is to be less formal, delve into bigger-picture topics of interest within public education, and include members of the community in the discussions as much as possible.
HOW THE COMMUNITY CAN PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO BOE

  • Attend a BOE meeting and speak during public comment
  • Email the BOE as a group (boe@dfufsd.org) or any one BOE member individually
  • Call a member of the BOE (phone numbers are on www.dfsd.org and in PTSA calendar)
  • Chat with them in the grocery store, in the gym, at a football game, etc.
  • Email to the members of the relevant BOE committee (see next section)
  • If you contact a member individually, you will always be asked permission before that member shares your concern or question with the rest of the board or an administrator
  • If your issue or question is more appropriate for someone else (your child’s teacher, a school principal, the Superintendent), the BOE will refer you to that person
  • Call a member if you want your question or comment private because BOEemails can be subject to Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests.
BOE COMMITTEES: HOW TO GET INVOLVED AND GIVE FEEDBACK

  • This year, a new committee structure is being piloted in order to better increase Board efficiency.
  • In years past, the BOE had a handful of Advisory Committees to review certain issues and provide feedback back to the board; one board member was on each committee; majority of membership was teachers, community members, administrators, students; kind of like a sounding board
  • Past structure posed distinct challenges including low attendance, difficulty recruiting, lack of resolution and power.
  • The new committee structure being piloted, emulating the structure of many existing boards, is crafted so BOE members serve on several committees:
    • These are committees of the board; each one is a smaller subset of the board, along with any administrators that are needed
    • Each committee first addresses issues before those issues come to the full board
    • Allows each board member to delve more deeply into fewer areas
    • Can keep each full board meeting to a more reasonable length
  • Board Committees include:
    • Audit (comprised of community members and full BOE)
    • Curriculum and Instructional Technology
    • Facilities
    • Finance
    • Student Activities/Athletics
    • Wellness (comprised of parents, teachers, BOE members)
    • School and Community Relations
    • Policy
  • Board committee meetings are public. Dates are listed on the website calendar. If you have an issue that you think should be addressed by a committee, it is best to email the members of the committee and ask that your issue/question be added to an upcoming committee meeting agenda.
  • Compact Committees are not BOE Committees. They are governed by NY State law. They are building-specific committees that address non-personnel building-specific issues.  Compact Committees include parents, teachers and administrators.  In the past they have addressed things like dismissal procedures, report card structure, guidelines for school celebrations, etc.
  • When one-time issues come up, ad hoc committees or task forces can be established that include parents, teachers, etc. (e.g., Strategic Planning Committee, Special Ed Committee)
  • Before the end of the year, BOE will evaluate how well this new structure is working.
WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE A BOE MEMBER

  • Full Board meetings are generally every 2 weeks.
  • Requires time to review materials and prepare for each BOE meeting.
  • Each BOE member is on at least 1 committee (most are on 2 or 3 committees); committees meet about 1x per month or as needed.
  • Typically more time is involved with board service when the district is: (1) hiring a superintendent, (2) conducting negotiations, or (3) going through a major building project.
  • Leadership (president and VP) meet weekly with Superintendent to set agenda and share issues that have arisen since last meeting; notes from that leadership meeting are shared with rest of board via email.
  • Occasionally we discuss issues in executive session that cannot be discussed in public -- e.g., issues relating to a particular student, a particular employee, contract negotiations, security issues, etc.  Board members cannot share this information with anyone.  
  • Attend school functions.
  • Attend trainings (12 hours mandatory in NY state law)
GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS

  • Always must remember that BOE represents the entire community
  • Think about what’s best for all students, not just own or a particular subgroup
  • Think about community members with no children in school
  • Remember that BOE members are stewards of the district’s tax dollars
WHY RUN FOR SCHOOL BOARD?

  • You are passionate about public education.
  • You want to be a representative of the community and a leader in the district.
  • You are ready to make decisions on major issues that affect the students and citizens of Dobbs Ferry.
ADDITIONAL SESSION Q & A

With regard to teacher tenure, where is information found and how can we give feedback regarding specific teachers?

When a teacher is up for tenure it is on the BOE website for us to access and the public can comment. Public input is important when it comes to tenure, both good and bad. The board makes final decision for tenure. The BOE has to be 100% in favor of teacher - if anyone is on the fence, it will not happen.

What happens when we complain about a teacher?   Does the teacher find out? 

No the teacher will not. The principal can say she understands your concern but cannot tell you what steps may or may not be taken. If you have a concern about a teacher, be sure to share with the principal via letter or verbally and then if he/she does not address, then go to Lisa Brady.  All positive and negative feedback goes into the teacher's personnel file.

If I have a question for a BOE member and I email them, is it private?

If you email one board member they will share the email if you tell them to. If you want it to remain between you and the BOE members, tell them as much.  Otherwise they might not think it’s a BOE issue so always email the entire board if it’s an issue that concerns the entire BOE. If you have a concern email the board before their meetings and they can then discuss. Always feel free to pick up the phone and call an individual BOE member – those conversations are always kept private.

How can parents become involved and/or give feedback to the BOE committees? How about COMPACT Committees?

The best way to give feedback to the BOE or its committees is to send an email (to oneBOE member or all) or call a BOE member.  Also, attending BOE meetings is a great way to familiarize yourself with what is new in the District and how the BOE works.  Most BOEmembers are also happy to sit down with parents and have coffee and discuss any concerns or questions.  Compact committee members serve for two years.  New members for all committees that include parents are recruited via a PTSA email blast in late summer and at back-to-school nights.

What connection, if any, does the BOE have with the village trustees and mayor? Or decisions made collaboratively

The school board has no connection to village board. They respect each other’s issues and sometimes collaborate but they are separate boards and do not work together on issues.

Is the superintendent a member of BOE? 

She is not a member but usually is invited to and attends executive session meetings.


The Dobbs Ferry PTSA would like to extend its sincerest gratitude to our Board of Education for attending this meeting, thoughtfully preparing an informative presentation, and for answering the myriad of questions from our parent community. Your transparency and collaboration are very much appreciated.